This dissertation is an interpretive inquiry of the conception of self in the Hindu Advaita (non-dual) school. I focus on the original works of Sankara (8th-9th CE) and Abhinavagupta (10th-11th CE), both of whom played a significant role in developing the Advaita philosophy within the Hindu tradition. I offer an innovative analysis of the Advaita thought, drawing upon the fields of religious studies, philosophy, psychology, and history and philosophy of science. This multidisciplinary exploration focuses on the structure of human consciousness and its relation to the existential dimensions of human experience. On the basis of non-dualism, I examine the subject-object relationships in the contexts of cognitive activity, aesthetic experience and interpersonal relationships. I argue that certain structures of self-object or self-other relations, which I characterize as the sacred, point to experiences of depth which do not merely reduce to cultural phenomena or socio-political dynamics, though their expression often take specific cultural forms. Such structures play a crucial role in developing authentic dynamics with the other, in enhancing creativity and enriching aesthetic activities. Thus the sacred create the possibility for a vital and caring relationship with one's environment. Because my investigation focuses extensively on subjective awareness, it will add important dimensions to questions concerning the nature of cognition.

Since Plato first banished poets from his Republic, the relationship between the aesthetic and moral value of literature has been subject to philosophical, critical, and pedagogical debate. In this philosophical investigation, I sought to explain how the evocation of the senses during literary transactions shapes the phenomenal experience of the reader. Recent developments in neuroscience (Damasio, 1999, 2003; Edelman, 1992) provide strong evidence in support of embodied theories of cognition in which imagery and affect play a central role. The purposes of this philosophical investigation were to describe the structure and function of imagery and affect in the cognitive act of reading, to provide a detailed account of how we exercise our capacity for imaginative thought in order to achieve literal, inferential, and critical comprehension, and to explore the implications of an embodied mind for reading and responding to literary texts. The investigation yielded a critical review of contemporary theories of reading (Kintsch, 1998; Rumelhart, 1977; Sadoski & Paivio, 2001) to examine their ability to explain the phenomena associated with the literary experience. Dual coding theory (Sadoski & Paivio, 2001) which maintains an empirical and embodied view of the mind was shown to have considerable theoretical advantages over rationalist computational theories of cognition in explaining phenomena associated with reading and responding to literary texts. A neurobiological account of consciousness provides support for the idea that literature can engage readers imaginatively in the process moral deliberation (Dewey, 1932/1985). In addition, I concluded that considerable evidence exists to suggest that somatic and visceral changes experienced as a result of undergoing the text can potentially incite individual and social change.

The empirical study of consciousness is a young field still in its pre paradigmatic stage and so in need of a unifying framework. This comparative literature review examines two theories of consciousness, Thomas Metzinger’s the self-model theory of subjectivity and Antti Revonsuo’s Biological realism, theories which both try to provide such a framework for the science of consciousness. This paper gives an overview of some of the more central parts of each theory, along with criticism directed towards them. The paper show that these theories, although on the surface very similar, disagree on some fundamental philosophical questions due to differences in their underlying background assumptions. The theories also slightly differ in their view on some methodological questions, as well as in their view of certain aspects on consciousness.

Up to this date there are several scientific disciplines that deal with religion´s underlying mechanisms and certain functions of our consciousness, but there isn´t anyone who takes into account the entire aspect of consciousness. The aim of the present work is to bring the entire aspect of our consciousness into the scientific discussion of religion. To help in doing this, the philosophical concept of qualia is used. First the concept is problematized, then an examination whether the concept has explanatory value in the science of religion and in the understanding of religious experience is done.  The concept of qualia has in this manner been applied to several scientific theories of religion and place-related entity continuity has been used as an example of religious experience. The present work is developed as a literature study and uses literature and theories from de scientific disciplines of philosophy of mind, cognitive neuroscience, neurotheology, cognitive science of religion and psychology of religion. As an underlying method the epistemological theory of holistic coherentism is used because it enables such an interdisciplinary study as this work is.   What this work shows is that qualia have a high explanatory value in the science of religion and in the understanding of religious experience and how we form religious concepts. However, the concept of qualia is problematic and great care must be exercised when inferences are made.

Instauré en 1991, le droit à la privatisation gratuite de son logement a favorisé l'accession des anciens locataires soviétiques au statut de propriétaire, transformant du même coup les immeubles collectifs en copropriétés. Sur la base d'une enquête ethnographique, cette thèse étudie la mise en œuvre du nouveau Code du logement (2005) à Moscou, qui réorganise la gestion publique de l'habitat collectif autour de l'assemblée générale des copropriétaires. Contribution à l'analyse du changement social postcommuniste, cette recherche examine comment la copropriété passe du statut de texte abstrait au statut de pratiques sociales situées. Combinant les apports de la sociologie de l'État, de la sociologie des mobilisations et de l'étude des rapports ordinaires au droit, ce travail se focalise sur trois groupes d'acteurs : les agents subalternes de l'administration de Moscou ayant recours à des pratiques illégales pour mettre en œuvre localement la nouvelle législation ; des acteurs politiques tournés vers la vulgarisation et le conseil juridique dans la perspective de défendre les droits des habitants et, enfin, certains habitants particulièrement engagés dans les affaires de leur immeuble. En s'appuyant sur une approche wébérienne des usages sociaux du droit, cette recherche montre que infractions légales, batailles d'interprétation de la législation, ainsi qu'appropriations profanes du droit sont autant de mécanismes à travers lesquels le régime copropriétaire acquiert une véritable existence sociale. L'analyse de ces rapports et concurrences donne à voir la fabrique de nouvelles pratiques habitantes et subjectivités postcommunistes, reconfigurant les rapports ordinaires à l'État et au marché. / Introduced in 1991, the right to free privatization of own’s own housing favored a double transformation: of tenants into owners, and of collective housing into condominium buildings. Based on an ethnographic investigation in Moscow, this dissertation examines the implementation of the new Housing Code (2005). This legal shift led to a renewed governance of collective housing, now centered around the general meeting of owners. A contribution to post-communist social change, this research is also an investigation into the sociology of law. Based on a Weberian approach to the social practices of the law, it examines how the legal regime of joint ownership went from being abstract text to the status of social practices located. Drawing upon the sociology of the State, the study of mobilizations and researches on legal consciousness, the dissertations focuses on three groups of actors central to the construction of the new legal system. The first one consist of the lower-level agents of the Moscow administration, who resort to illegal practices in an attempt to locally implement the new legislation. The second includes local politicians, geared towards the dissemination of legal knowledge and literacy in an attempt to defend the rights of the inhabitants. The third one encompasses inhabitants particularly involved in the organization of their buildings’ administration. The dissertation focuses on three mechanisms through which the new legal system came into being: legal offenses, controversies around the interpretation of the legislation, and layperson’s appropriation of the law. The analysis sheds lights onto the making of these new was of inhabiting the space, as well as on the crafting of postcommunist subjectivities that reconfigure the relationships between the State and the market.

L’objectif de cette recherche est d’appréhender les punitions corporelles en tant que phénomène éducatif au regard des droits des enfants à partir des représentations sociales des parents ordinaires. L’étude a impliqué des mères et pères de familles biparentales, sans risque économique, habitant la ville de Barranquilla en Colombie. La démarche s’inscrit dans une perspective pluridisciplinaire combinant l’éducation familiale, la théorie des représentations sociales issue de la psychologie sociale et les études sur la conscience du droit, issues de la sociologie juridique (Legal Consciousness Studies - LCS). Le recueil de données a été réalisé avec deux instruments : le réseau d’associations et l’entretien semi-directif. Le premier permet de recueillir les mots évoqués de façon spontanée à partir d’un terme inducteur et d’atteindre la construction du contexte sémantique de la représentation. L’analyse prototypique des réseaux avec le logiciel EVOC 2003 a permis d’explorer la structure représentationnelle. Cinq objets de représentations ont été examinés pour la caractérisation de son contenu et de sa structure : Punitions-récompenses, Droits de l’enfant, Autorité des pères et mères, Éducation dans la famille, Garçons-Filles. Cette approche a contribué à une compréhension approfondie du phénomène des punitions corporelles du point de vue des acteurs. L’analyse des entretiens a été faite avec le logiciel Atlas.ti en s’appuyant sur les catégories conceptualisantes. Cette analyse permet d’approfondir la connaissance des éléments représentationnels et leur relation avec la narration du quotidien par les parents. Les récits obtenus décrivent la reconstruction par les participants des discours issus de la tradition, du champ juridique et du champ savant, trois discours qui sont intégrés dans le réseau de la pensée sociale. L’examen de la reformulation du discours juridique et de la représentation sociale des droits des enfants ouvrent la voie à la compréhension de la construction par les parents ordinaires d’une légalité particulière. / The research aimed to characterize corporal punishment as an educational phenomenon in tension with the rights of the children, from the social representations of ordinary parents. The study included parents from bi-parental families, excluding the population in economic risk, living in Colombia. The approach involved a multidisciplinary perspective -family education, theory of social representations and legal consciousness studies (LCS)-. The gathering of data is performed with two instruments: the associations networks and semi-structured interviews. The first one allows to reach the construction of the semantic context of the representation. The prototypical analysis of networks made with the EVOC 2003 software led to the exploration of the representational structure. Five objects of representation were examined for the characterization of their content and structure: Punishments-rewards, Children’s rights, Parental authority, Family education, Boys-girls. This approach searched for a deep understanding of the phenomenon of corporal punishment from the point of view of the actors. The treatment of the interviews by the Atlas.ti software was made using conceptualizing categories. This analysis allowed deepening the knowledge of representational elements and their link with stories of everyday life from the parents. The obtained narratives exposed the participants' reconstruction of the discourses emerging from tradition, the legal field, and the learned field; which would be integrated to the social thought network. The examination of the reformulation of the legal discourse and the social representation of children’s rights opens the way to understanding the construction of special legality by the parents on a daily basis. / La investigación tuvo por objetivo caracterizar el castigo físico en tanto fenómeno educativo en tensión con los derechos de los niños desde las representaciones sociales de los padres ordinarios. El estudio se desarrolló en Colombia con madres y padres de familias biparentales. Éste se inscribe en una perspectiva multidisciplinaria - educación familiar, teoría de las representaciones sociales y estudios de la consciencia del derecho -. La recolección de los datos se realizó a través de dos instrumentos: las redes de asociaciones y las entrevistas semi-estructuradas. El primero permite alcanzar la construcción del contexto semántico de la representación. El análisis prototípico de las redes con el software EVOC 2003 conduce a explorar la estructura representacional. Cinco objetos de representaciones fueron examinados para la caracterización de su contenido y estructura: Castigos- premios, Derechos de los niños, Autoridad de los padres y madres, Educación en la familia, Niños-niñas. Esta aproximación busca la comprensión del castigo físico desde la perspectiva de los actores. El tratamiento de las entrevistas en el software Atlas.ti se realizó con la ayuda de categorías conceptualisantes. Dicho análisis permite acceder al conocimiento de los elementos representacionales y su relación con las narrativas acerca del cotidiano de los padres. Los relatos recogidos exponen la reconstrucción realizada por los participantes de los discursos emergentes de la tradición, el campo jurídico y de origen experto, los cuales estarían integrados en la red de pensamiento social. El examen de la reformulación del discurso jurídico y la representación social de los derechos de los niños abre la vía a la comprensión de la legalidad particular construida por los padres en el cotidiano.

While the concepts and imagery presented here are not autobiographical, there is no way to fully detach lived experience from the process of making and theorizing this work. And although its impetus is a lifelong journey of healing, the focus here is transforming the inhabitance of trauma into an awareness of embodied presence. From a space of reflexivity, Inhabitance asks you to come back to your body through heart-minded creative action. This practice-based interdisciplinary methodology integrates the emancipatory powers of women and gender studies, consciousness studies and art. Through this hybrid approach, Inhabitance creates space for reconciling an imposed fracture between the sensory and cognitive aspects of our lives to rewrite the restrictive narrative that trauma can hold over both. / Doctor of Philosophy / While the concepts and imagery presented here are not autobiographical, there is no way to fully detach lived experience from the process of making and theorizing this work. And although its impetus is a lifelong journey of healing, the focus here is transforming the inhabitance of trauma into an awareness of embodied presence. From a space of reflexivity, Inhabitance asks you to come back to your body through heart-minded creative action. This practice-based interdisciplinary methodology integrates the emancipatory powers of women and gender studies, consciousness studies and art. Through this hybrid approach, Inhabitance creates space for reconciling an imposed fracture between the sensory and cognitive aspects of our lives to rewrite the restrictive narrative that trauma can hold over both.

This thesis examines key concepts from philosophers Nishida Kitaro, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Fredriche Nietzsche and applies them to elements of Michael Chekhov’s practice of acting. The three philosophers, in different ways, suggest an ‘optimal’ state, beyond a dualistic separation of the fictive from the real and the visible from the invisible, that challenges seemingly unbridgeable dualisms between inner and outer, subject and object, being and becoming and experiencer and experienced. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and understand these selected ‘optimal’ modes of consciousness in performance and, therefore, open up new ways of thinking about Michael Chekhov’s acting processes; in particular the ‘Psychological Gesture’. The thesis asks the following questions: 1. How can the application of selected philosophical paradigms to the Psychological Gesture through theory and practice further our understanding of Michael Chekhov’s work? 2. How do selected aspects of the fields of phenomenology, post-phenomenology, cognitive sciences, consciousness studies and philosophy of mind, aid in developing an articulation and understanding of an ‘optimal’ state of consciousness as a necessary aspect of the actor’s performance in Michael Chekhov’s work and theatre practice? 3. How can this project develop the way we are able to talk about Michael Chekhov’s work and wider acting processes?

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